Kim Possible (franchise)
Kim Possible is an American animated comedy franchise about a teenage crime fighting girl of the same name who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues daily. Although the show is action-oriented, it also has a light-hearted atmosphere, comedy, and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the secret-agent and action genres. When it premiered in 2002, the show became a global hit. The series was lauded for its empowered female role model who uses her brain, heart and expertise to save the day. Throughout 342 episodes and sixteen seasons as of May 2019, Kim Possible traversed the social hierarchy of high school and, with her hapless sidekick Ron Stoppable and his naked mole-rat Rufus by her side, thwarted power-hungry villains Drakken and Shego, among others. The popularity of Kim Possible has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Viewers’ connection to Kim Possible also led to a successful off-TV franchise including Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable characters at Universal Parks & Resorts and a line of Kim Possible branded consumer products at mass retail, soundtracks, comic books, a magazine, books and games. In addition to its 23 Emmy Award wins, the series’ other accolades are from the Parents’ Choice Foundation, the International Animated Film Society’s Annie Awards and Italy’s Pulcinella Award for Best Program and Best TV Series.” Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, a feature-length film, was released in 2005 and was the fifth highest-grossing film of that year. A variety of merchandise, including T-shirts, DVDs, board games and action figures has been released. Kim Possible merchandise has sold well, generating $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. In 2007, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to use Kim Possible characters in their advertising. In 2008, $750 million worth of Kim Possible merchandise was purchased worldwide. Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice-president of licensing and merchandising, called Kim Possible "without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film." Premise The franchise revolves around Kim's fights against her enemies as well as her everyday life problems as a normal teenager, which are usually presented as a subplot. Kim lives in what is supposed to be an "Any Town, USA" named Middleton, although it is built around a thriving NASA-like Space Center with several supporting Science Laboratories. Background Creation Creators Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley claim they created the show in an elevator. As they tell it, McCorkle looked at Schooley and said, "Kim Possible: she can do anything". Schooley at once replied, "Her partner is Ron Stoppable: he can't do anything". The creators also maintain that it was always their intention for Kim and Ron to eventually become involved romantically, rather than just remaining best friends. This becomes a reality in the movie Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, which was originally slated to be the series' ending. The romantic theme, however, also continues on. The series premiered on Fox on June 7, 2002, and the first episode to air, "Crush", was nominated for a Primetime Emmy award the following year. After the premiere of this episode, Kim Possible was the most-watched and highest-rated television show on Fox at that time. On February 22, 2005, after three seasons and 65 episodes, the show ended production. Due to strong DVD sales and highly rated cable reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, Fox announced on November 29, 2005, that the show would be renewed for more new episodes, which debuted on Fox on February 10, 2007. Style and themes Episodes typically adhere to a simple, similar format, featuring a power-hungry villain who Kim and Ron must somehow prevent from taking over the world. Although primarily an action-comedy series, Music in Television: Channels of Listening author James Deaville observed that Kim Possible adheres to the long-standing tradition of combining adventure with comedy in animated television. According to Telebisyon, "The show is fairly action-oriented, but also has a strong, light-hearted comedic atmosphere". In addition to action, comedy and adventure, Kim Possible's storylines also explore elements of romance and drama. With a tendency to not take itself seriously, Kim Possible both parodies and pays homage to the spy, action hero, and superhero genres, its comedy benefiting from the show's emphasis on "over-the-top plots" and circumstances; Shego's own family of superheroes, Team Go, is a deliberate parody of the Marvel superhero team the Fantastic Four. Self-referential in its humor that avoids talking down to its viewers, the series also parodies the teen sitcom genre, teenage fads and trends in general, and sometimes even makes fun of its own plot holes and oversights, while occasionally adopting common cartoon and sitcom tropes. Main characters Main article: List of Kim Possible characters (on monitor screen), Dr. James Timothy Possible, Dr. Ann Possible, Ron, Rufus, Kim Possible, Shego, Dr. Drakken, Monkey Fist, Señor Senior Sr., Adrena Lynn, and Señor Senior Jr. ]] * Kimberly Ann "Kim" Possible (voiced by Christy Carlson Romano): a confident, adventurous, and popular high school student who moonlights as a crime-fighter, dividing much of her time between saving the world and attending cheerleading practice. Although protecting the world comes to her quite naturally, Kim actually finds growing up as a teenager much more challenging, struggling with everyday personal issues that range from schoolwork to bullying, embarrassment, relationships, and self-doubt, continuing to become flustered around boys she likes despite her own good looks, multiple talents, and heroics. A straight-A student, Kim is also a perfectionist. Kim's catchphrases include "No big", "So not the drama", "Oh Crap! Wartime" and "What's the sitch?", short for "situation". Combined, her first and last names are a pun of the word "impossible". * Ronald "Ron" Stoppable (voiced by Will Friedle): Kim's sidekick; her childhood best friend (and boyfriend as of season four) who, unlike Kim, is cowardly, socially awkward, clumsy and unpopular with his peers. Although Ron is far less competent within the realm of crime-fighting than Kim, he has proven his merit as a teammate on multiple occasions by gradually maturing and gaining confidence over the course of the series. He is regarded by other characters as a crucial component to Kim's unusually high success rate in crime-fighting and is highly talented in cooking. Known for his catchphrases "That Sexy Pervert" and "Booyah", Ron suffers from a severe fear of monkeys and serves as the show's comic relief. His first and last names are a pun of the word "unstoppable". * Rufus (voiced by Nancy Cartwright): Ron's pet naked mole rat who accompanies Kim and Ron on their missions, traveling in his owner's pocket. * Wade Load (voiced by Tahj Mowry): a 10-year-old computer genius who informs Kim and Ron about upcoming missions from his bedroom, remotely assisting, guiding and equipping them with useful tools, weapons and gadgets, including Kim's Kimmunicator, via which he communicates and provides his teammates with vital information. Wade is also responsible for maintaining Kim's website. * Dr. Drakken (voiced by John DiMaggio): born Drew Theodore P. Lipsky, Drakken is Kim's archnemesis and most resilient adversary. He is a mad scientist plotting world domination, although most of his schemes fail at the hands of Kim because he lacks both the patience and intelligence to perfect his ideas, which often suffer as a result of his own mistakes and oversights. His skin has permanently been turned blue as a result of a laboratory accident. Additionally, Drakken is a former college roommate of Kim's father James. * Shego (voiced by Nicole Sullivan): Kim's primary combatant and most dangerous opponent; a supervillain with the superhuman ability to generate powerful green energy blasts from her hands. Known for her catchphrase "Hell, I Shouldn't Even Exist!", Shego is Drakken's sarcastic – but far more intelligent – sidekick, who openly mocks the scientist with little regard for his seniority. The character finds herself making up for Drakken's incompetence on multiple occasions. Originally the lone female member of a team of superheroes known as Team Go alongside her four brothers, Shego eventually makes a full conversion to villainy after ultimately growing attracted to the evil she once fought against (in addition to finding her brothers annoying). Smart, athletic, and attractive, Shego is essentially a "dark reflection" of Kim, as well as the only character the heroine truly has reason to fear, although the two archrivals share a mutal respect for each other at the same time. Television Kim Possible Main articles: Kim Possible ''and ''List of Kim Possible episodes Kim Possible premiered on Fox on June 7, 2002 The series revolves around an eponymous high school student Kim Possible, a teenager tasked with fighting crime on a regular basis while coping with everyday issues commonly associated with adolescence. Kim is aided by her best friend and clumsy sidekick Ron Stoppable, his pet naked mole rat Rufus, and 10 year-old computer genius Wade. Known collectively as Team Possible, Kim and Ron's missions primarily require them to thwart the evil plans of the mad scientist–supervillain duo Dr. Drakken and his sidekick Shego, though they encounter several other enemies as well throughout the show. The show is set in the fictional town of Middleton. In 2002, the show quickly became a global hit and Kim became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Kimmania". After the premiere of "Crush", they planned a theatrical movie called Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, which was originally slated to be the series' ending. The romantic theme, however, also continues on. In September 2008, Kim Possible reached their 100th episode at the start of the sixth season. Hallmarks of the show include its theme song, performed by Christinia Milian; its use of cultural references; sight gags; romance; and the use of catchphrases, such as Kim's "What's the sitch?". Kim Possible has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 23 Emmy Awards, 16 Annie Awards and 14 Writers Guild of America Awards. The Simpsons crossover Main article: Rufus (The Simpsons) A crossover episode of The Simpsons and Kim Possible aired on August 28, 2005 as the former show's seventeenth season premiere. Entitled "Rufus", Season 17, Episode 1 features Lisa contacting Kim and Ron to help her rescue Bart, who has been captured by Drakken and Shego in a partnership with Abe to clone Bart for an army of obedient monsters. Meanwhile, Marge mistakes Rufus for one of her missing experiments. Films The success of Kim Possible spawned two animated—as well as a live action—films based on the series. The first, Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time, is science fiction-themed and was released on DVD and VHS on December 2, 2003, following Kim as she travels both back in time and into the future to save the world. Dubbed an "extended episode", the film also explores the character's origin, revealing how both she and Ron became crime fighters, and features an all-star cast. The second, Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, was released in theaters on April 8, 2005 and was a box office success, grossing $645 million at the box office. It was originally going to be the series finale, but due to successful DVD sales and highly rated reruns on Adult Swim, the series was renewed for more new episodes. On August 10, 2018, 20th Century Fox announced that a sequel is in development. On February 7, 2018, Fox announced on Twitter that they were moving forward in making a live action Kim Possible movie and were beginning casting and would be released on February 15, 2019. On April 25, 2018, Fox announced that Sadie Stanley and Sean Giambrone would portray Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable respectively. On May 25, 2018, Variety revealed casting for six key roles in the movie including Alyson Hannigan as Dr. Ann Possible, Connie Ray as Nana Possible, Todd Stashwick as Drakken, Taylor Ortega as Shego, Ciara Wilson as Athena and Erika Tham as Bonnie. On June 22, 2018, it was announced that Issac Ryan Brown will portray Wade. In August 2018, it was announced Christy Carlson Romano had joined the cast of the film, with Patton Oswalt reprising his role as Professor Dementor. Print publications Comic books Main article: List of Kim Possible comics The final issue of Kim Possible Illustrated was a one-shot comic edition titled Kim Possible Comics and Stories. The overwhelming success of this seemingly one-shot book led to the creation of Bongo Comics Group, which has gone on to publish numerous KP-related comic books since 2005. Numerous KP-related comic books have been released over the years. So far, nine comic book series have been published by Bongo Comics since 2006. The first comic strips based on Kim Possible ''appeared in 2003 in the magazine ''Kim Possible Illustrated, which was a companion magazine to the show. The comic strips were popular and a one-shot comic book entitled Kim Possible Comics and Stories, containing four different stories, was released in 2005 for the fans. The book was a success and due to this, the creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening, and his companions Bill Morrison, Mike Rote, Steve Vance and Cindy Vance created the publishing company Bongo Comics. Issues of Kim Possible Comics have been collected and reprinted in trade paperbacks in the United States by HarperCollins. Books Main article: List of Kim Possible books Dozens of books based on the show have been released by Fox, some are based on various episodes. Kim Possible Library of Wisdom series each relate to a character from the show and two per year are released. Reference books about the making of Kim Possible & episode guides Kim Possible Illustrated Kim Possible Illustrated was a companion magazine to Kim Possible. It ran for 10 issues from 2003–2005. Welsh Publishing Company issued it four times a year. The magazine had a circulation of 1 million. Features included in-depth articles and interviews with the cast and crew, comics, and fanart. Episode guides A series of episode guides has been published, starting with Kim Possible: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Heroine. The guides feature quotes, trivia, and cultural references for each episode. Theme Park attractions Universal Studios Main article: Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure Created as part of the Living Character Initiative at Imagineering, testing for an early version of the game took place during the summer of 2006 and included visits to the United Kingdom Pavilion and the France Pavilion with a final encounter with Shego and Dr. Drakken taking place in the upstairs ImageWorks over at the Imagination Pavilion, the first time the space was open to the public outside tours since 1998. The final version, omitting the ImageWorks stop and having individual missions for multiple pavilions to take on different villains, would debut in January 2009. Video games '' ]] Main article: List of Kim Possible video games The success of Kim Possible spawned its own video games; a total of thirty video games were released as of 2019, supported by various gaming consoles and platforms. Some of the early games include Konami's arcade game Kim Possible (2003) and THQ's Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist (2002). More modern games include Kim Possible: Invasion of the Robots ''(2011), ''Kim Possible Adventures (2014) and Lego Kim Possible (2019). Two Kim Possible pinball machines have been produced; one that was available briefly after the first season, and another that is still available for purchase. Merchandise The popularity of Kim Possible has made it a billion-dollar merchandizing industry. Kim Possible ''merchandise sold well and generated $2 billion in revenue during the first 14 months of sales. In 2008, $750 million worth of ''Kim Possible merchandise was purchased worldwide. In 2010, about 500 companies around the world were licensed to use Simpsons characters in their advertising. In 2010, Peter Byrne, Fox executive vice president of licensing and merchandising, called Kim Possible ''"without doubt the biggest licensing entity that Fox has had, full stop, I would say from either TV or film." DVD releases ''Main article: List of Kim Possible home video releases Music Main article: Kim Possible discography Collections of original music featured in the series have been released on the albums Songs in the Key of Middleton, Go Impossible with Kim Possible and Kim Possible: Testify. Several songs have been recorded with the purpose of a single or album release. An official Kim Possible soundtrack was released by Back Lot Music on July 1, 2003 and was a success, peaking at #3 on the Billboard ''200 and becoming certified 2x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. T-shirts In the 2000s, millions of T-shirts featuring Ron were sold; as many as one million were sold on some days. Believing Ron to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Ron next to captions such as "I'm Ron Stoppable. Who the hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')". Toys ''Main article: Kim Possible action figures McFarlane Toys produced hundreds of Kim Possible action figures, along with vehicles, playsets, and accessories, becoming one of the top collectibles for children. Staff artists at Northampton, Massachusetts-based Mirage Studios provided conceptual designs for many of the figures, vehicles, and playsets and creator credit can be found in the legal text printed on the back of the toy packaging. Never before in toy history did an action-figure line have such an impact for over a decade, generating billions of dollars in licensing revenue. The series was highly popular in the UK, where in the run-up to Christmas, the Army & Navy Store in London's Lewisham devoted its entire basement to everything Turtle, including games, videos, costumes, and other items. Lego In 2014 and 2015, Lego sets based on Kim Possible were produced, including Drakken's Lair and a set of Collectible Lego Minifigures. Board and Card games Kim Possible has inspired special editions of well-known board games, including Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, Chess, Checkers, Pictionary, Battle of the Sexes, Jeopardy, The Game of Life, Don't Panic, Magic 8 Ball, Othello, Scrabble, SORRY!, Poker, Darts, and Wheel of Fortune are all examples of games that have release Kim Possible-related content, as well as the trivia games What Would Ron Do? and Kim Possible Jeopardy!. Several card games such as Top Trumps cards and Kim Possible Trading Card Game have also been released. There have also been a few card games and board games unique to Kim Possible. Some examples are: Kim Possible Game, Kim Possible Loser Takes All!, the So Not the Drama dice game, Kim Possible Mystery of Life, Kim Possible Lost and Found!, and Kim Possible Guessing Game (similar to Guess Who?). Other As a promotion for Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, 7-Eleven, Burger King, and Walmart perched 11 of its stores with 9-foot Rufus inflatables. In May 2003, stores starting selling a juice pouch to compete against juice pouchs such as Capri-Sun and Kool-Aid Jammers called Kim Possible Koolers. On April 9, 2012, the United States Postal Service unveiled a series of five 44 cent stamps featuring Kim, Ron, Rufus, Dr. Drakken and Shego, to commemorate the show's tenth anniversary. The stamps, designed by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, were made available for purchase on May 7, 2012. Approximately one billion will be printed. Sony produced a limited edition Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama PlayStation 2. Samsung released the Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama phone, however the quality of build on the phone left it prone to screen damage although the company denied this and claimed any screen damage was 'user related' and denied warranty claims in Australia. Many official or unofficial ''Kim Possible ''books such as episode guides have been published.